CONTINUING on the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program, many captains of the industry are firing mixed reactions—some positive, some not so positive. Meaning, there are always the optimists and the pessimists in our midst.
But that is always expected, given the nature of the CARS Program—ambitious and reeking of demands and challenges which, to the not-so-daring, could prove daunting as to cause instant hesitation, if not total surrender, to its promised allure.
See? That is to be expected—the immediate eyebrow-raising stance whenever a new thing comes along. Not necessarily a quick no, of course; just some reluctance, which is the nature of people that think first before “taking the plunge.”
Arcilla’s mind
Listen to Albert Arcilla, the lawyer-cum-chief honcho of Covenant that owns Chevy distributorships in the country: “The objectives of the CARS Program, if achieved, would be highly beneficial to the industry and the motoring public. Critical, however, to my mind, is for the parent company of the manufacturer to include the Philippines as a production hub for a particular model to be able to produce the required volume.”
History, indeed, is replete with stories about new ideas encountering hostility. The CARS Program is no exception. Wasn’t Columbus accused of losing his mind when he said the world is round? Seemingly always, new beliefs are unwelcome and, at times, an inventor is deemed a lunatic.
Further from Arcilla: “It means that with the CARS Program, the Philippines must form part of the overall production plan (for the region) and that may take some time before it can be switched to skew toward the Philippines. Also, we have to have a firm direction on where our forex [foreign-exchange] level will be pegged as this will be a critical factor in the costing and synergies for production.”
I can only agree.
Contrary voices
While the government’s road map to car production and parts manufacturing is finally here after quite a despicable delay, it can’t be helped still to hear voices to the contrary—given that the region is necessarily dragged into it when seen in the overall picture of the industry. And, yes, watch it. Even Japan, the world’s No. 1 carmaker due in large part to Toyota Motor Corp.’s dominance of the automotive business the last 10 years or so, is a keen observer to this—the Philippines being one of its major distribution cogs in the Asia Pacific.
In a statement, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) said it welcomes the CARS Program, praising President Aquino as “having seen a clearer direction” toward car manufacturing in the country and regional integration.
Sugata-san speaks
Said Michinobu “The Rocker” Sugata, the TMP president: “Toyota welcome it with much optimism as it further allows the continuity and increase in contributions to the Philippine economy of the auto industry through local manufacturing. It is also expected to facilitate the expansion of local manufacturing capabilities and improve cost competitiveness of industry players, setting the stage for regional integration.”
For years now since Toyota’s re-emergence in the market in 1989, the world’s No. 1 carmaker has been a power to reckon with in the context of Philippine economy. Its billions of investments have become core topics on how to help gun up growth.
Sugata-san said he believed the CARS Program would further help boost Toyota’s growth and trigger investment opportunities from its supplier network and other auto-related manufacturing activities.
He concluded: “I am grateful to the Philippine government for giving the local auto manufacturing industry a chance to flourish and further contribute to the economy through the CARS Program.”
When the industry leader itself warmly welcomes a new government spin affecting matters closest to its heart, it can only mean one thing: It finds the idea worth supporting.
Kudos to Jade
And speaking of Toyota, I commend once more its tireless dedication to maintain its yearly Road Trek, a program that brings its allies, motoring media included, to undiscovered spots in the country worth visiting.
Special mention goes once again to Jade B. Sison, who combed Cebu’s northernmost tip and found a paradise in Daanbantayan called Kandaya Resort. Our two days of stay there proved memorable and it was like, we stayed there a week—just frolicking in the sun, “eating, sleeping, driving—and repeating” the same.
For 11 straight years now, the Toyota Road Trek has been on the road. Through all the years, it hasn’t lost its magic—from Luzon to the Visayas and, once, to Mindanao. I guess, it will stay that way—as in the fabled Toyota Way. The Road Trek can only get better.
PEE STOP. Here’s praying for the return to good health of Dino Directo, our dear friend from Manila Standard. And, of course, also for the full recovery of Ray Butch “Elvis” Gamboa, who had undergone a heart procedure only a while back. Get well soon, fellers!